CHAPTER TWO HUNDRED AND THIRTY EIGHT – BAR FIGHT

Davies's face split into a rare, beaming grin. "Let's just say, my girl, that you won't have to worry about loan sharks—or much of anything else—for a good long while." The implications of his words took a moment to sink in. When they did, Charlotte felt as though she might burst from sheer, giddy relief. A laugh bubbled up from deep within her, high and borderline hysterical. "We did it," she gasped between peals of laughter. "We actually bloody did it!" And as Dawn's rosy fingers began to creep through the pub's grimy windows, Charlotte allowed herself, for the first time in what felt like an eternity, to look towards the future not with dread, but with hope. Whatever challenges lay ahead, she knew now that she wouldn't have to face them alone. The thought was as warm and welcoming as the coming day. ____________________________________________________________________________ Charlotte watched in horror as chaos erupted before her eyes. What had moments ago been a scene of jubi